Got a couple of people asking what do I think the media hub is gonna look like. I think it's already taking shape - around the iPod. Not the PVR/STB - because iPod penetration is growing (as are iPod complements) much faster. At the same time, iPod functionality is evolving in a demand-driven manner, whereas Apple's competitors are playing the MusicMatch game - offering consumers minimal functionality because of their own conflicts of interest. It's a classic example of a dominant design emerging from the bottom up - leveraging an installed base and then building architectural innovation around it because the economics are superior.

If you think about the components necessary for a true digital hub (av connectivity, wireless connectivity, dsp, processor, big hd, fast memory, screen), and then think about the iPod - you see that it already fits many of these criteria. Imho, you also begin to see that a minimal iPod Mac Mini hybrid fulfills all of these criteria in the next couple of years (as prices for the above components continue to drop). Whereas PVR's/STB's are locked into almost intractable issues of rights mgmt, network access, bundling, etc.

it's a stark contrast to microsoft's offering for a hub. I believe they're banking on their xbox platform, with some extra bells and whistles (dolby 5.1 outputs, bigger hard drive). They do have the video game angle covered though, which is something the IPOD and Mini combination is lacking.